In underground mining, hydraulic cylinders are frequently used as, for example, pit props or moving cylinders in self-advancing supports.
In such hydraulic cylinders, it is important to detect the stroke of a piston of a hydraulic cylinder to determine the state of, for example, a self-advancing support. The stroke of the piston is generally detected using a contactless position sensor. DE 10 2011 121 247 A1 discloses a measuring rod including a plurality of Hall sensors. Each Hall sensor outputs a continuous voltage signal that depends on the intensity of an applied magnetic field. Based on the measured intensity, the distance of a Hall sensor to a magnet is determined. Using a measuring rod including Hall sensors may require calibration of each sensor and may increase the total cost of the position sensor. In addition, it may be difficult to replace the Hall sensors.
The disclosed systems and methods are directed at least in part to improving known systems.